your ideas for new Starfleet technology

What are your ideas for new Starfleet technology? We've seen the tried and true photon torpedo's, phasers, isolinear computer cores, bio-neural computer processing units, warp drives, and imuplse engines...But what do YOU think should be made? What new exciting technologies would be interesting?

I'll start:

A hybrid warp drive. It uses the slipstream drive's ability to focus warp fields via the deflector dish to focus the existing drive's warp fields emitted by the warp nacelles. In doing so, it pushes the drives maximum speed to warp 9.9977, or 15456.8 times the speed of light (versus the E-D's 9.6 max speed, or 1915.2 times the speed of light, or Voyager top speed of warp 9.975, or 5551.9 times the speed of light.). The max sustainable speed would be 9.9976, or 15106.7 times the speed of light. It's cruising velocity would be 9.997, or 13451 timse the speed of light. This requires Starfleet to renumber the warp scales, making the cruising speed warp 11 or so.

Another one is the Nano-computer core. Instead of being DECKS and DECKS high, this unit is contained in one room. Like the stoarge devices recovered by Voyager from a destroyed borg scout, these units use nano-probes to store and transferr information on a much much smaller scale. The nano-probes can self replicate if damaged, self repair, and if a unit is severely damaged it automatically shunts the knowlege to a safe location or another unit. It would look like this: There is a central processing unit that is the height of the room, roughly cylindrical. Outwards extends 6 "arms" that connect to 6 different "tables" containing a certain amount of nano-processing units. Each arm represents a department, tactical, command, engineering, sciences, medical, and general data. The central unit processes and distributes information to personell that request it. Keep in mind they ARE NOT borg nano-probes, but Starfleet designed nano-probes from what Starfleet learned after Voyager got home inn 2378.

A true advancement in Starfleet would not be with the acquisition of new technology, it would be in the reassessment of the use of current technology. Then again, the same can be said of tech fantasies on a whole; people in those universes don't understand that it's not what they have that's the problem, it's in how they use it.

I also think a good thought-experiment when it comes to this sort of thing does not include numbers-pulled-out-of-a-hat (subject to change as plot requires and begs the question "you crunched the numbers?"), or descriptions of physical appearance (really, there's only one configuration?).

No, instead give a general description of how it works, but the meat should be an exploration of the implications the new tech/science/capability has on the universe (cultural, social, economic, political, etc..)

Although this isn't as bad as when fans "design" ships (bleh, like just throwing together a picture to satisfy individual aesthetic desires is really "designing") and in a desperate attempt to make their creation "special" they say "it has advanced this and that." RIght, because it's going to be any more advanced than the rest of the stuff coming off the production lines in the same time period.

Assimilation Bomb = Photon torpedo casing with both a mini-replicator inside (primed to replicate and distribute nanoprobes over large distances) and a portable transporter unit with pre-buffered Borg tech in suspension, ready to be directly transported into any suitable ship's systems or humanoid beings within range.

Subspace portals as replacements for transporters. Inspired by Iconian gateway technology, it allows instantaneous transport to and from a ship without having to convert matter to energy and back again. Maximum range: 500,000 kilometers.

I also think a good thought-experiment when it comes to this sort of thing does not include numbers-pulled-out-of-a-hat (subject to change as plot requires and begs the question "you crunched the numbers?"), or descriptions of physical appearance (really, there's only one configuration?).

No, instead give a general description of how it works, but the meat should be an exploration of the implications the new tech/science/capability has on the universe (cultural, social, economic, political, etc..)

Although this isn't as bad as when fans "design" ships (bleh, like just throwing together a picture to satisfy individual aesthetic desires is really "designing") and in a desperate attempt to make their creation "special" they say "it has advanced this and that." RIght, because it's going to be any more advanced than the rest of the stuff coming off the production lines in the same time period.

Click to expand...

Well said.

I'd like to see further development of the ship concepts at the back of the TNG Technical Manual. I really liked the idea for the one that was a forward section with two warp nacelles and mission-specific modules mounted aft along a spine. The book suggests that they aren't quite at the point where they can make that arrangement work yet, but it's very interesting to think how the Starfleet might begin to look if they reach a point where the tradeoff for the lousy warp dynamics becomes acceptable.

(Frankly, I just thought the little top-down view of it looked cool as well, which is an achievement considering the design principles it employed and the expectations we've got for Starfleet ships. I'd love to see some good artist work up more about it.)

A related concept ship in there had a primary hull made of replaceable segments, adaptable for different mission profiles. This gave it a "chunky" look echoed in some fan designs.

The giant everything-and-two-redundant-kitchen-sink ships would still be the ones you'd want to send off on the really long-range and long-term space probe missions, but for ships operating within the Federation, this large-scale application of modularity offers many advantages. I wonder: would crews start to be assigned to modules and not to ships per se?

1)The Federation abandon the Flowers for Algernon Treaty and start using cloaking devices.

2)Ship artificial sapience seems almost unavoidable in the context of the 24th century technological development. Computer software is clearly capable of a self-organizing intelligence that is human in quality (ala the Doctor). I'd also like to see ship artificial sapience NOT envy humanity, but prefer to explore the possibilities of its OWN existence.

3)The prohibition against genetic engineering becoming subject to increased scrutiny and protest, with the science reborn under a cloud of controversy.

4)Slipstream drive and transphasic torpedoes deinvented.

The techs in 1-3 are not new, but rather abandoned, and this despite their incredible usefulness.

1)The Federation abandon the Flowers for Algernon Treaty and start using cloaking devices.

2)Ship artificial sapience seems almost unavoidable in the context of the 24th century technological development. Computer software is clearly capable of a self-organizing intelligence that is human in quality (ala the Doctor). I'd also like to see ship artificial sapience NOT envy humanity, but prefer to explore the possibilities of its OWN existence.

3)The prohibition against genetic engineering becoming subject to increased scrutiny and protest, with the science reborn under a cloud of controversy.

4)Slipstream drive and transphasic torpedoes deinvented.

The techs in 1-3 are not new, but rather abandoned, and this despite their incredible usefulness.

Click to expand...

Abandoned? Section 31 seems to have Transwarp, Phased Cloak, Shield penetrating Transporters, pretty much anything against the rules and considered unachievable - because they have the Database from the Chronoworx Satellite that picked Voyager clean Since as far back as 2020.

If you have timetravel and no problems with the rules - who gives a witchety about a little Genetic cloning or Slipstream Drive. For all we know they running a secret civilization and are pretending to be the Breen.

How about a working internal security system for starships and starbases that doesn't require sending a bunch of redshirts to get shot? What you do is you set up a system similar to the TR-116 with the microtransporter. A handful of automated TR-116 sentry guns placed behind bulkheads throughout the ship could effectively nuetralize intruders within moments.

Anyone beaming aboard the bridge during a Red Alert situation could be scanned, IDed, and shot or darted within milliseconds. Much better than watching Mr. Worf awkwardly grapple with the umpteenth Borg drone while everyone looks on helplessly.

My roleplaying game takes place in the 25th Century so we have explored some of these possibilities.

1.) Positronic Chips - Based upon the technology used in Lieutenant Commander Data and the research of Commander Bruce Maddox, Starfleet Engineers have been able to upgrade Starfleet vessels with positronic circuitry increasing their calculation capabilities and data storage.

2.) Hybrid Warp Core - exactly as suggested above.

3.) Tachyon Torpedoes - Tachyon Torpedoes are designed to disable the power systems of an enemy starship rather than destroy.

5.) Masking Circuits - Masking Circuits are the Federation outgrowth of the Treaty of Algeron. Rather than develop cloaking technology the Masking Circuitry can be used to minimize a Starship's sensor profile.

The Romulans' proportionate response to news of the newly-formed 'Typhon Pact' and The Dominion War, The Romulan Government suddenly decide to permit The Federation / Starfleet (on a mission-specific basis,) to re-negotiate 'The Treaty of Algeron'.

This new version of the treaty gives VERY specific, strict criteria to help Starship Captains decide whether or not its best to use a cloaking device in the gathering of intelligence in the best interests of the protection of the Romulan Star Empire and The Alpha Quadrant Alliance, including Earth.

The technology that Dr. Ra-Havreii built for Melora Pazlar on Titan that allowed her to go pretty much anywhere on the ship in avatar form without subjecting herself to the rigors of full gravity. Later dialogue mentioned that he could offset the settings so that anyone attempting to grapple with her holographic avatar could not do her damage through feedback, and she could actually do more damage to them than a normal-strength human.

Think of what that could do for a starship security force. They could take on Hirogen borders with superhuman avatars, risk-free.

Think of what that could do for a starship security force. They could take on Hirogen borders with superhuman avatars, risk-free.

Click to expand...

For that matter, you wouldn't even need someone controlling the hologram. You could just send a legion of holographic Borg or Klingon warriors at them. Or burn them up with holographic fire or poison them with holographic nerve gas or get them hopelessly stuck in holographic taffy.

I mean, hell, you could have Emergency Engineering Holograms, Emergency Tactical Holograms, and so on and so forth. Except for maybe a small command crew of real people, you'd hardly need an actual crew at all. Or, just take out the need for crew altogether and just build sentient probes and make the most boring Star Trek ever. Once VOY got their hands on the whole holographic people concept they kind of let the genie out of the bottle and we just have to ignore it from now on.

On a side note, another technology I'd work on is a uniform better suited for away team missions than their Starfleet pajamas. This is the 24th Century for crying out loud. Give them climate-controlled biofeedback enhanced suits with tricorders and phasers built into the suit (phaser emitter in the glove maybe?). Also, a little more ablative body armor around the chest area would save on redshirts. I mean "The Siege of AR-558" was ridiculous. They were wearing the same pajamas only with a little more padding and no helmets or nothing.

^For that matter how about some mechanized ground units? In the planetside actions we've seen, even the Jem'Hadar don't bother using a deflector-shielded tank. We do hear tell of "hoppers," which I guess are like helicopters or Hornets in Halo.

In a nutshell: An anti-Borg (or anti-starbase) starship that is essentially one giant antimatter cannon, inspired by the Doomsday Machine.

Click to expand...

ouch o.0 that things gonna hurt!!!!

um, well, I have a few heres some

MFA's (Multi Functional Arrays): an array that not only can fire phasers, but has a particle replicator for firing any particle beam you can think of, with perhaps maybe poleron beam emitters or some other kind... depending on what you need, this could work two ways, having the emitters side by side, or to save space, having them phased at different frequencies to have whichever one you need at the moment phase into our reality when needed, but that might take allot of energy, not that warp drive doesn't xd, and if the phase shifter fails they all materialize and break lol

Federation Nanoprobes: just as the name suggest, heres how I would use them, built into the hull and systems of the ship to make repairs to damage, like of a biological create would heal a wound, how to integrate them thinking about that, some kind of microscoping fuild delivery system? blood of the ship? or have them phased work on new material and have it phase into place..

Neural interface, I mean come on, it's easier to control the ship if commands are issues at the speed of thought... also, an artificial ship inteligence would be neet as long as it doesn't screw you over.... lol, I'm sure thease have been covered thouh

Vibrational Frequancy Drive, based on String theory, if every space, has a unique frequency, designating that spot, by homing in and aligning to that frequecy, you should be able to instantly teleport there, also different times and dimensions have differen't frequencies so not only is this a FTL drive for distance, it's a time machine and inter-dimensional teleporter xd.... however it will never replace standard warp or other forms of transport..
beacuse you have to know the frequency of where you want to go, so your limited on exploration and what not because you DO NOT want to just go to a random frequancy because well, you could materialize into the core of a star for black whole or maybe a universe that is uncompatible with you and well, we don't want that do why?h

Deflecter Detection Shield Reinforcement, DDSR, ok name sucks but bear with my, if you use the sensors and deflector to detectect certain particles and vibrations, re-route the shielding through the dflector, you can shield from any particle or enery field by matching frequencies, why they haven't done that I dunno, oh yeah makes the plot to easy

EMP weapons, starfleet need one, to drain shields and main power, like the Breen used, it would allow you to disable the enemy ship, protecting yourself without having to kill anybody... xd but making sure the life support stays on... tricky xd

oh remeber the ESG (Electro Sphere Generater) the Lyrans had from SFC, that was playing dirty lol

Temporal Shielding, this idea obviously isn't mine, it's been around for awhile but good idea, IMO actually didn't the 29th century time protection agency or whatever actually use that in ENT, they had to escpae some how

Omega particle powersource would take care of any power problems but it's probably best not to go there...

I like Phased cloak and Transphaic torpedoes but those ideas are taken

My roleplaying game takes place in the 25th Century so we have explored some of these possibilities.

1.) Positronic Chips - Based upon the technology used in Lieutenant Commander Data and the research of Commander Bruce Maddox, Starfleet Engineers have been able to upgrade Starfleet vessels with positronic circuitry increasing their calculation capabilities and data storage.

2.) Hybrid Warp Core - exactly as suggested above.

3.) Tachyon Torpedoes - Tachyon Torpedoes are designed to disable the power systems of an enemy starship rather than destroy.

5.) Masking Circuits - Masking Circuits are the Federation outgrowth of the Treaty of Algeron. Rather than develop cloaking technology the Masking Circuitry can be used to minimize a Starship's sensor profile.

Click to expand...

nice! I like the Tacheyon Torpedoe Idea, as for Phoenix torpedos how do they work, alien shield would differ from race to race, so could they be so reliable?